Notarial seal



Dec. 23,v 1924.

F. J. CALLAHAN l NOTARIAL SEAL Filed Nov. 19. 1923 Patented @en 2?, 1924i QFFEQE...

fFpihlll FRANCS J. CALLAHAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INOTARIAL SEAL.

Application led November 19, 1923.

To f/,ZZ eli/ioni it may concern.'

Be it known that l, FRANCIS il. Cannat-IAN, a citizen of the United States, residing` at Chicago. in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented certain new and use- 'ul impmven'ien'ts in Notarial Seals, of which the following is a specification.

ri"his invention relates generally to impression producing devices, and while th-e form and character of the impression producing members may vary widely in order to produce any desired impression, I have shown and described herein for illustrative purposes merely my invention as embodied in a nota-rial seal.

Notarial seals as customarily made embody a cumbersome frame and a lever structure mounted thereon which i s not only awkward but cannot readily be transported from place to place. Furthermore7 such seals cannot be carried on the person, and are subject to appropriation and unauthorized use.

l)ne of the primary purposes of my invention is to provide a` seal which will be small and compact in construction and capable of being carried in the pocket in the same manner as a watch is carried. rlhe seal is, therefore, not liable to be taken or used by unauthorized persons, and it may at all times be carried so that it is convenientfor use wherever the notary may be.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a seal in which the impression producing members will be entirely enclosed in a case so as to protect them against injury and also against an accumulation of dust and dirt on the impression producing surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of my invention should be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings:

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a seal embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my invention showing its manner of use.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail it will be observed that my invention comprises a case simulating in size, shape Serial No. 675,484.

and appearance a hunting case watch. This case comprises a back 5, and a cover 6, hinged together by a hinge pin 7. which is made suiiiciently strong and heavy to resist considerable strain. A coiled or other suitable spring 8 is adapted to normally urge the cover into the open position illustrated in Fig. et.

lVithin the back member 5 of the case there is .fixedly mounted an impression producing member 9, and in the cover 6 is mounted a companion impression producing member 11, the meeting line of the two members being in the plane of separation of the back and cover of the case. The letters, characters or other subject matter to be impressed on the paper by the seal are formed on the face of the member 9 in relief and on the face of the member 11 in intaglio, so that when the members are pressed together an impression of the characters will be formed on an interposed sheet of paper.

rihe case is equipped with the usual stem housing 12, and chain ring 13, by which' the ease may be attached to a watch chain, or the like.

For the purpose of locking the case in closed position and without leaving any projecting parts at the edges of the case which might perforate or mutilate the paper upon which the impression is being made, I have provided a locking device which will now be described.

lithin the stein housing 12 there is rotatably mounted a stem 14 equipped at its outer end with a. knurled head 15, and at its inner end with a locking arm or latch 16. The edge of the cover 11 is provided with an undercut groove 17 adapted to receive this latch when turned tothe posit-ion shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the back 5 is provided with a groove or recess 18 in which the member 16 is disposed when the case is open for use. It will be apparent, therefore, that when the oase is open there are no projecting portions of the lock which might mutilate or injure the paper disposed between the impression producing members.

The seal, as previously stated, may be carried in the users pocket, and when required for use it is withdrawn and laid upon a table, desk, or the like, as indicated in Fig. e. The stem 14 is turned by means of the head 15 to release the cover, which is automatically opened by the spring 8 into the position shown in F ig. 43 or even farther open if the hinge be constructed to permit such opening. The sheet or sheets of paper 18 are then inserted between the impression producing members, whereupon pressure applied to the cover 6, Itu` close the same will force the member 11 into cooperative relation With the member 9, thus producing an impression upon the interposed sheet.

A seal constructedin'accordance With my invention is small and compact in construction, attractive in appearance; is capable of being carried in a pocket so as to be at all times accessible to the user but secure against theft or unauthorized use, and furthermore the impression producing members are completely enclosed in a case which protects them against injury and againstv an accumulation of dust and dirt on the impression producing faces.

I claim:

l. A notarial seal,comprising a case simulating in construction and appearance a hunting case Watch, impression producing members carried bythe back and cover closure members of? said case respectively, and adapted to be entirely inclosed Within .said case, ay stem carried by one of said pression producing members carried respectively by they back and cover of said vcase and adapted to be entirelyy enclosed Within said case, and means for locking said case in closed position, said mega-ns being operable by the stem to unlock said case.

3. In a device of' the class described, a case including two concave 'leaves hinged together and arranged to tightlyv vengage around the rims of their concave faces in dust-tight relation, relief' and intaglio dies Within respective leaves arranged for cooperative engagement upon engagement of said leaves, a stem connected with one of said leaves, and a locking device operative by said stein and cooperative With the other of said leaves -for locking said case.

FRANCIS J. cALLAHAN. 

